Investments
Singapore e-commerce aggregator gets $45m
Singapore’s Rainforest, an aggregator of Amazon marketplace sellers, has raised a USD 45m round led by Southern Capital, which provided USD 15m.
Deal focus: Software Combined sees sense in aggregation
Backed by majority owner Navis Capital Partners, Australia-based Software Combined wants to reach up to USD 35m of EBITDA within three years through acquisitions of smaller B2B players
Deal focus: TH Capital identifies key niche in energy storage
Zhongchu Guoneng Technology is leading China’s push into compressed air energy storage as a means of harnessing fast-rising yet unstable wind and solar capacity. Tsinghua Holdings Capital is among the backers
Deal focus: Pakistan’s Dastgyr aspires to emulate Alibaba
SOSV sees parallels between the e-commerce awakenings in Pakistan and China, though 20 years apart. Dastgyr has positioned itself at the fore, but it wants to be asset-light rather than asset-heavy
Indonesia blockchain player Ekta raises $60m
Indonesia’s Ekta, a blockchain ecosystem operator with a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace and eponymous cryptocurrency, has raised USD 60m from US-based Global Emerging Markets (GEM).
Australia's Infomedia entertains three buyout offers
Australia-listed automotive software supplier Infomedia has received its third buyout offer in the past two months, with PE-backed counterpart Solera proposing to acquire the business at a valuation of AUD 638.8m (USD 445m).
Infrastructure funds move towards software - Infralogic Forum
Software providers are set to become targets for infrastructure investors, provided companies can demonstrate sufficient customer stickiness to underpin consistent revenue streams, the Australia Infralogic Investors Forum heard.
India's ShareChat closes $520m round, hits $5b valuation
Indian social media platform ShareChat has raised USD 255m from Google, Times Group, and Temasek Holdings, capping a USD 520m Series G round at a valuation of USD 5bn.
India payments player Innoviti expands Series D to $22m
India-based financial technology start-up Innoviti Payment Solutions has doubled the size of its ongoing Series D round to more than INR 1.6bn (USD 22.5m). The overall target is USD 3bn.
China life sciences research business gets $300m Series C
MegaRobo Technologies, a China-based provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics-enabled research services to the life sciences industry, has raised USD 300m in Series C funding.
Vulcan leads $10.5m Series A for Singapore's Amili
Vulcan Capital, an investment vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has led a USD 10.5m Series A round for Singapore-based microbe analytics start-up Amili.
Pakistan B2B marketplace Dastgyr secures $37m Series A
Dastgyr, a Pakistan-based B2B e-commerce marketplace, has raised USD 37m in Series A funding led by Veon, an Amsterdam-listed telecom provider that owns Pakistan’s largest mobile network.
Japan's Aspirant buys beauty brand John Masters Organics
Japanese middle-market private equity firm Aspirant Group has agreed to acquire John Masters Organics (JMO), a personal care brand with a sizeable presence in East Asia, for an undisclosed sum.
Tencent, Block join Series B for Indonesia's Flip
Indonesian consumer payments platform Flip has upsized its Series B round to more than USD 100m with the addition of Tencent Holdings and Block – formerly Square – to the investor roster and re-up from Insight Partners.
India's 8i Ventures gets 36x return on M2P Fintech
Indian early-stage investor 8i Ventures has made a partial exit of its seed shares in local banking software supplier M2P Fintech, generating a 36x multiple and an IRR of 415% after two years.
Capital Today leads $100m round for China's Hai Robotics
Hai Robotics, a China-based warehouse robot company, has raised an extended Series D round of USD100m led by Capital Today China Group.
Deal focus: Hahn finds rich pickings in SK Group
Hahn & Company’s USD 1.3bn acquisition of an industrial materials unit from SKC is its fifth deal involving SK Group in four years. Being a good custodian is regarded as key to securing repeat business
Crypto: Something for everyone?
Traditional VCs are becoming more active in Asia’s blockchain and web3 space, despite structural and philosophical obstacles to participation. Can they withstand the crypto winter?
Deal focus: Singapore biotech start-up generates US buzz
Singapore’s Tessa Therapeutics has developed a cancer drug that appears to be twice as effective as other treatments in its class. It has raised USD 126m with eyes on a near-term US IPO
Deal focus: VCs back steppingstones to immortality
Japan’s Alt is quicky commercialising a suite of learning voice recognition products as part of a plan to capture individuals’ personalities and values in a process it calls digital cloning
China edge cloud computing provider raises $38m
Shanghai-based distributed cloud computing company PPIO has raised nearly CNY 250m (USD 37.6m) in Series A funding led by Panlin Capital, China Creation Ventures, Shanghai Zhangjiang Technology Venture Investment, and IMO Ventures.
India payments player Kissht closes $80m Series E
Indian payments start-up Kissht has raised a USD 80m Series E round led by Temasek Holdings-owned Vertex Ventures and Brunei Investment Agency.
Singapore cancer treatment start-up gets $126m Series A
Singapore’s Tessa Therapeutics, a biotech developer with a Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment in phase-two trials, has raised a USD 126m Series A round led by US healthcare specialist Polaris Partners.
Med-Fine leads Series A for China's Degron Therapeutics
US and China-based biotech player Degron Therapeutics has closed a USD 22m Series A round led by Med-Fine Capital.